City of Leicester & Leicestershire - The Good and Historical Stuff

[davieG]

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble

Lee Circle

Back in the day....

[davieG]

 

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble 

Humberstone Gate/ Charles Street 1950s

[davieG]

 

Made In Leicester

Dian Lestari 

 

Leicester Railway Station 1969

[Parafox]

5 hours ago, davieG said:

 

Made In Leicester

Dian Lestari 

 

Leicester Railway Station 1969

If you zoom in you can see me age 14 on Birdcage Walk just off Swain Street, doing a bit of trainspotting. 

[davieG]

7 minutes ago, Parafox said:

If you zoom in you can see me age 14 on Birdcage Walk just off Swain Street, doing a bit of trainspotting. 

Was there quite a lot myself used to sit on the upper ramparts/parapets or whatever they were called of the bridge and also sneak down to the Roundhouse to 'cab' all the engines that were there.

[Parafox]

2 minutes ago, davieG said:

Was there quite a lot myself used to sit on the upper ramparts/parapets or whatever they were called of the bridge and also sneak down to the Roundhouse to 'cab' all the engines that were there.

 

Those were the heady days of both steam and diesel locomotives.

 

Watching that turntable.

 

Hoping to see a Deltic, which were rare on our EM line.

[davieG]

Look where you could get to by train from Belgrave Road Station 

 

[Stadt]

19 hours ago, davieG said:

 

Made In Leicester

Dian Lestari 

 

Leicester Railway Station 1969

The two tower blocks by the station now are a total blight 

[DJW1]

I've walked hundreds of times from the station to the 2 grounds since my first game in 1971. The other day I was wondering what was there before Waterloo Way was built. Does anyone have a photo or street map?

[kenny]

8 minutes ago, DJW1 said:

I've walked hundreds of times from the station to the 2 grounds since my first game in 1971. The other day I was wondering what was there before Waterloo Way was built. Does anyone have a photo or street map?

This website is the one I use.

 

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/find/#zoom=6.0&lat=53.39954&lon=-3.03050&layers=102&b=1&z=0&point=0,0

 

This map is from 1885. Waterloo Street is on the bottom left of this map and was a small street before the second station was demolished.

 

 

[DJW1]

3 minutes ago, kenny said:

This website is the one I use.

 

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/find/#zoom=6.0&lat=53.39954&lon=-3.03050&layers=102&b=1&z=0&point=0,0

 

This map is from 1885. Waterloo Street is on the bottom left of this map and was a small street before the second station was demolished.

 

 

Thanks for that. So It looks like they demolished houses to build Waterloo Way. I've never noticed the date on the station front, but it must be post-1885, as in this 1885 plan the station building is facing the City centre

[davieG]

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble ·

Haymarket 1960s

Belgrave Gate.

[davieG]

The wedge & flick leicester  · 

Bod Cox ·

MR KIESAS

[Parafox]

35 minutes ago, davieG said:

The wedge & flick leicester  · 

Bod Cox ·

MR KIESAS

 

I think "international discotheque" is a bit of a stretch 

 

I used to go to Bailey's which was decent as a small time cabaret club. They had some decent acts back in the day, The Drifters. 3 Degrees, Four Tops, Slade, Mud,  Bay City Rollers plus quite a few that were internationally well known acts back then. I'm talking mid 70's

 

I was picked out to get on stage with Paul Daniels and he did some shit magic with me as his stooge.

 

Tommy Cooper failed to appear as he was "ill" (drunk).

Edited 16 January by Parafox

[davieG]

26 minutes ago, Parafox said:

 

I think "international discotheque" is a bit of a stretch 

 

I used to go to Bailey's which was decent as a small time cabaret club. They had some decent acts back in the day, The Drifters. 3 Degrees, Four Tops, Slade, Mud,  Bay City Rollers plus quite a few that were internationally well known acts back then. I'm talking mid 70's

 

I was picked out to get on stage with Paul Daniels and he did some shit magic with me as his stooge.

 

Tommy Cooper failed to appear as he was "ill" (drunk).

Baileys for me saw Love Affair as they hit the No! spot. Even the Corn Exchange had a few decent bands say The Spencer Davis Group as they hit No1? with Keep on Running

[Parafox]

Just now, davieG said:

Baileys for me saw Love Affair as they hit the No! spot. Even the Corn Exchange had a few decent bands say The Spencer Davis Group as they hit No1? with Keep on Running

SDG. Great band but quite niche. Apart from the track you mention.

[Free Falling Foxes]

14 hours ago, davieG said:

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble ·

Haymarket 1960s

Belgrave Gate.

Brilliant picture but also quite sad when you think of the many architectural delights which we lost in the city centre.

Fascinating to see the fella painting or window cleaning atop of a very tall ladder. No one is 'footing' the bottom of it and no cones or barriers around it.

[davieG]

Leicester Memories

Jeffrey Boyes

Leic clubs in 70s

 

 

 

[davieG]

All About Great Britain ·

Follow

 

Taken in 1903, this cross-section shows the Roman road of the Fosse Way at Radstock in Somerset, with the layered surface clearly visible.

Built in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, the Fosse Way ran for around 230 miles, linking Exeter in the southwest with Lincoln in the northeast.

For a time after the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, it even marked the western frontier of Roman control.

Its name comes from the Latin fossa, meaning “ditch”, and it may have begun life as a defensive earthwork before becoming a major road.

The markings along the top also appear to show cart tracks, a reminder of just how heavily this route was used.

 

[davieG]

History of Leicestershire in Images

Mervin Wallace ·

ON THE 20th JANUARY 1265

England's first Parliament* met at Westminster Hall in London, convened by

Simon de Montfort, The 6th Earl of Leicester, who was born in Normandy around 1208. He was killed during The Battle of Evesham (Worcestershire) on the 4th August 1265. The battle in which the army of Prince Edward, the future king Edward I of England, defeated the forces of rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort. This is regarded as marking the first step towards the foundation of the modern House of Commons and the democratic government of today. *Although historically he enjoys a reputation as the father of modern parliamentary democracy, the word parliament first appeared in 1236, then when knights were formally elected to sit in 1254.

He is represented in the stonework figures in Leicester’s Clock Tower. 

 

 

[davieG]

AS I remember it - ruined in my eyes. A museum where you destroy the original design of the building.

 

Story of Leicester

Leicester Museums & Art Gallery (also known as New Walk Museum!) photo taken in c.1930.

Standing watch at the top of the staircase is George the Giraffe - a firm favourite for museums visitors for many decades. George was still on display through to the late 1960s - maybe some of our fans remember seeing him when they visited as a child? He now lives at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham, his home for the last 50 years or so.

Big changes have happened at the museums since this photo was taken - the staircase was removed and a floor added between the balconies seen here, creating a large new gallery upstairs.

Leicester Museum & Art Gallery celebrates it's 175th anniversary in 2026, and it has been free to visit for all that time! Did you visit when you were a child, do you still visit today?

[davieG]

When Leicester was considered 'the place' to introduce new concepts like this, Radio Leicester - first in the country - Traffic Wardens - first after London - Drive Through Bank ( Charles St).

 

No we're just nobodies.

 

 

 

Leicester Memories

Cam Jest Hart 

Here is a Fact about Leicester i didn't know wow Sid James Opened the Lee Circle Car park. he is my comedy hero cool ,Lee Circle Car Park in Leicester, which opened in 1961, featured a groundbreaking Tesco superstore and was famously opened by Carry On comedian Sid James, alongside Tesco founder Sir Jack Cohen, marking a major moment in UK retail history with its self-service concept and integrated shopping/parking system

 

[Parafox]

8 hours ago, davieG said:

AS I remember it - ruined in my eyes. A museum where you destroy the original design of the building.

 

Story of Leicester

Leicester Museums & Art Gallery (also known as New Walk Museum!) photo taken in c.1930.

Standing watch at the top of the staircase is George the Giraffe - a firm favourite for museums visitors for many decades. George was still on display through to the late 1960s - maybe some of our fans remember seeing him when they visited as a child? He now lives at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham, his home for the last 50 years or so.

Big changes have happened at the museums since this photo was taken - the staircase was removed and a floor added between the balconies seen here, creating a large new gallery upstairs.

Leicester Museum & Art Gallery celebrates it's 175th anniversary in 2026, and it has been free to visit for all that time! Did you visit when you were a child, do you still visit today?

 

I used to love going there after school when I was around 13-15.

 

It was a place of magic. The giraffe and the shallow pools of Koi carp (or carp of some sort).

 

So much was wonderous to me.

 

I go there occasionally but it's just not the same. It's become too "arty". 

 

Not to mention the destruction of the pillars, balustrades and staircases. Criminal. How could they?

 

It's a fecking museum for God's sake. It should portray history and not try to be a poor man's Tate.

Edited 23 January by Parafox

[davieG]

Leicester Memories

Jayne Wills ·

 

Myself, my brother and a few mates were refused admission to the Essoldo being accused of causing trouble there the week before.

 

[davieG]

Graham Hulme

 

Old postcard view of London Road with Victoria Park on the left, early 1900s. The junction on the left would seem to be at the turn for Victoria Park Road and a traffic island is now situated at this spot on London Road, with Mayfield Road off to the right. Just seen on the extreme left hand edge of the picture is the old Victoria Park Pavilion. The old Pavilion was constructed in 1866 and was used as the grandstand for the Leicester Races which were held here until 1883. The Pavilion was designed by the Borough Surveyor Edward L. Stephens who was also the architect of the former Towers Hospital (1869). As well as the races, the Pavilion was used for other sports events on the park and had changing rooms and a cafe. In November 1940 the Pavilion was severely damaged by a parachute mine which had been dropped by a German bomber. The mine caused over £11, 000 worth of damage and the Pavilion was subsequently demolished. Temporary wooden and prefabricated huts were later used to house dressing rooms for football and cricket players and to store their equipment. The temporary structures were eventually replaced by the present pavilion in 1958. The modern pavilion was designed by the City Architect, J. H. Lloyd Owen, and cost about £71,000 to build. It was officially opened by the Lord Mayor, Sidney Brown, on 10th December 1958.